This invention relates generally to innovations and improvements in manual garden tools. More particularly, it relates to innovations and improvements in manual garden tools which have a dual purpose in that they can be used in one way to pry weeds, such as clumps of crab grass, upwardly from the soil and may be used in another way as a cultivator to scarify the soil top surface. After the tool has been used in either way, it may be operated so as to be self-cleaning.
The tool of the present invention is particularly useful by gardeners who have flower beds or vegetable gardens and have a need for a small manual tool which can be used for both removing weeds and for cultivating the soil around flower or vegetable plants. The tool of the present invention serves both as a weeder and as a cultivator. It has the further advantage of being self-cleaning after it has been used either as a weeder or as a cultivator.
The object of the invention, generally stated, is the provision of a manual dual purpose garden tool which has a rugged construction and is formed of a two-part body, a plurality of identical tines and a pivot pin all components being formable on a quantity production basis at relatively low cost.
Briefly, the tool of the present invention comprises an elongated longitudinally spread body formed of two mating parts which are pivotally connected adjacent one end by a pivot pin on which two separate blades are mounted. Each of the blades takes the form of a plurality of spaced pointed tines with each tine having an integrally formed projection which fits into a pocket in one of the body parts so as to maintain all of the tines forming one of the blades in an aligned condition.
When the two body parts are mated together they form a single handle which the user can grasp in one hand with one of the blades extending in the longitudinal direction from the pivoted end of the tool. In this condition of the tool, the other blade extends generally transversely to the tool body.
With the tool parts of the body mated or closed together, the tool can be used to pry up weeds from the soil. Alternatively, it can be used as a cultivator to scarify the soil top surface. After having been used for either purpose, upon spreading apart the tool body parts, the spaced tines of the two blades are intermeshed to form a substantially solid blade thereby cleaning the tool by removing any dirt or foreign matter that has become stuck between the tines of either blade.